Public Citizen Applauds Passage of Bipartisan Senate Bill to Terminate Trump’s Nonsensical Emergency Declaration on Brazil
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the Senate voted to pass a bipartisan bill that exercises congressional authority to end Donald Trump’s declaration of an emergency for tariffs against Brazil.
Public Citizen endorsed this joint resolution that “terminates the national emergency declared to impose duties on articles imported from Brazil.” The Senate vote comes just one week before the Supreme Court is set to hear arguments in lawsuits filed against President Trump’s implementation of tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). House Republicans will likely continue their cowardly procedural maneuver that allows them to avoid taking a vote on the tariffs and risking Trump’s ire.
Melinda St. Louis, Global Trade Watch Director at Public Citizen, issued the following statement:
“In a rare bipartisan move, the Senate rightly rejected Trump’s fraudulent national emergency declaration targeting Brazil. Trump’s attempt to use tariffs to pressure Brazil on behalf of his fellow attempted-coup-orchestrator Jair Bolsonaro and U.S. Big Tech companies shows the extent to which he is willing to misuse his executive authority.
“Meanwhile, House Republicans continue to use procedural sleight of hand to avoid taking a stand on Trump’s tariffs — claiming that “a day is not a day” on the congressional calendar only for these privileged resolutions. Congress must uphold its duty to guarantee checks and balances against this president who is constantly overstepping his constitutional authorities. Instead, House Republicans are showing their cowardice by dismantling congressional tools to check Trump’s excessive use of emergency declarations.
“Trump’s sweeping tariffs on Brazil and dozens of other countries demonstrate the lie behind Trump’s rhetoric that his tariffs are meant to support U.S workers. If Trump cared about protecting workers, he’d pair strategic tariffs with domestic manufacturing investment, stop mega-corporations from price-gouging consumers, and encourage other countries to adopt trade policies that support workers and consumers. Instead, he wields tariffs to advance his authoritarian power grab.”
“As it prepares to hear arguments on Trump’s so-called “emergency tariffs”, the Supreme Court should take note of the will of the Senate, as Congress has the constitutional authority over foreign commerce.”